Close your Eyes for me and we can Have the World
by Summer Leigh Wind
Summary: "Close your eyes," she demanded. The young man did so, cupping his face; the young woman breathed. "Just imagine it won't you? We live in our own home...two little boys running up and down the halls...the sun shines through the windows and we are together in a parlor? Is it not beautiful?" One-Shot. Side-Story to We can Begin the World all Over again.


_**Close your Eyes for me and we can Have the World**_

* * *

Orion waited impatiently outside the little muggle pub; wondering whatever possibly could have gotten into Walburga. She absolutely hated the muggle world; the blond thought it was dirty, vulgar and without redemption. Sticking a hand in his very muggle jean pockets, the young man sighed and hoped whatever the woman wanted wouldn't be a waste of time. Several stumbling young men passed by, tripping into one another and snickering as they slurred disgusting things about women just a bit too loud for Orion's taste. _Worthless, the lot of them, _the young man thought spitefully; he reached for his wand, thinking a little stinging hex wouldn't be an unwarranted action considering their offense, when-

"Orion!" A voice shouted exuberantly, "There you are! Why didn't you ever just come in?" Turning his head, the man saw Walburga; looking her over, Orion snorted at how very well she wore the (_expensive_) muggle dress. For hating them, she certainly knew just what brands and styles were popular in this world. Approaching her, he realized her cheeks were flushed.

"Already started drinking, have you?" He inquired not so nicely.

She frowned at him. "I had a couple drinks-bought for me of course," she sniffed.

Orion sneered. "Ah, of course; with the way your dressed how could they _not_?" Crossing his arms to glare at the woman unhappily, he hissed "You'll lead people to believe you _want _to marry a dirty muggle."

The woman pouted at him. "There you go, I was nice enough to invite you out and-and," tears dribble unbidden from the woman's dark eyes and she sniffled, "Why are you being so utterly _hateful, _Orion?"

Quickly finding that the blond is much more pissed than he first thought; Orion put a nervous hand on her shoulder and with his other guided her to a care-worn bench a little ways away. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "Sh-ugh, I didn't want to make you _cry._" He told her helplessly. Sitting down so she could lean against him, the young man handed her a handkerchief. "Here," he offered, "you're make-up's running."

Gratefully, Walburga took it and dabbed at her eyes. "Thank you," she warbled. Once she's finished cleaning up her face, she crumpled the cloth between her fingers as they sat in silence. "I really shouldn't have accepted all of those drinks," she sighed; glancing at Orion with almost contrite eyes.

The man shrugged. "I should have thought to look inside, it _is_ a bit nippy," he said.

Walburga chuckled. "When you aren't angry, you truly are a gentleman," she told the other. This caused the dark-haired man to avert his gaze and stare off at one of the muggle contraptions-a "car" he though as it plodded down the road. Orion felt a slim, warm hand wrap around one of his own; stiff and heart thudding, he slowly shifted so he would fully face his second cousin. Dark eyes searching his, Walburga whispered, "I did want to discuss something with you tonight."

Clearing his throat, Orion nodded his head. "I know," he replied, "What was it?"

This time, the woman was the one to look off into the distance. "My parents are pushing the issue of marriage..." she started, fading off in a murmur.

Confused, the dark-haired man cocked his head to the side. "What did you expect? You've been running wild for almost five years, it's..." he made a grasping motion with a hand as he searched for the right adjective. "It's unbecoming, I suppose." He explained to her. Walburga gave him a mutinous scowl, "Now, Walburga," he chided. "You're brother Alphard's practically engaged to that one girl and you're brother Cygnus _is _engaged to the Rosier girl."

"Cygnus isn't even out of school!" The woman burst, "He has no clue what he's setting himself up for! Just look at mother and father they_ married_ in school because they slipped up and mother became pregnant with me!" Seething, Walburga rose to her feet and began to pace in front of the bench. "They were _so _young the two of them, they thought they were in love, but were they? No! And here they are stuck in a marriage because of something stupid they did when they were _children!_" She screamed at Orion, dark eyes tumulus.

Slowly, the young man adjusted to the information spewed at him and remarked, "I never took you to be a romanticist."

"Oh you bloody fool!" Walburga howled, "Don't you _understand_? I've refused marriage _because _I want someone I can spend the rest of my life with in a comfortable-maybe even loving relationship!"

More than a little stunned by the passion of his usually very controlled second-cousin, Orion muttered, "Why did you tell me all of this? Wouldn't Lucretia have been a better choice?" Staring at him with glistening eyes, Walburga opened her mouth; yet, she didn't make a sound. It dawned on him then, "You-" he choked, "You want to marry _me_?"

Eyes ranging on just the other side of desperate, Walburga snatched up his hands in a near painful grip and prattled, "I _know _you and I _like _you, Lucretia's told me how _considerate _you can be and I could be too if you wanted to have relations outside of our-"

Wrenching back a hand, Orion placed it over the woman's lips. "No," he croaked, "If I were to _marry _you," which is insane enough in itself, "I shall have _only _you." He won't be his father, he will control himself; he won't ever so much as look at another person after marrying.

From behind his hand, the man can see the blond's face relax and her eyes glitter with a hope barely born. "Okay," she mumbled from underneath his hand.

Sighing, Orion took it back; "They're going to expect an heir," he reminded Walburga.

Her eyes alight with contentment and that conspiratorial tilt that always made him think they were sharing some private joke came to her lips. "I'll give you two," she declared in a haughty tone.

Orion can't help but bark a laugh which causes the woman to release a breathy giggle. "So you will marry me?" She questioned

Dropping his stare back to their two interlinked hands; the young man paused. "I can't promise it will be an easy marriage, or that I'll ever love you in romantic way...but, I will always respect you and I will always try to work with you as an adult when we have problems." He swore to her, only daring to glance up once finished.

Tears came anew to her eyes, but she grinned brilliantly and pulled him into a hug. "I couldn't have asked for anymore," she uttered into his ear.

Hugging her carefully back, they eventually separate. Gazing at each other, Orion decided on what he was to do. "I'll talk to your father tomorrow," he said to Walburga.

She nodded. "Just wait, Orion; we'll have everything we ever dreamed of..." she promised with a wistful smile.

No matter how much he wanted to believe his fiancé, the dark-haired man felt doubt. "Not _everything,_ that's not possible," he frowned.

She chuckled. "Close your eyes," she demanded. The young man did so, cupping his face; the young woman breathed. "Just imagine it won't you? We live in our own home...two little boys running up and down the halls...the sun shines through the windows and we are together in a parlor? Is it not beautiful?"

His hands came to rest on top of Walburga's as a tear slipped from one closed eye. "It's perfect," he proclaimed.

He can hear the smile in her tone as she murmured, "Then we shall have it." It's not much longer that they stay there together on that little muggle bench and when they part, they share a chaste kiss.

The very next day Orion and Walburga are officially engaged.

* * *

**I was writing the lastest chapter for _We can Begin the World all Over Again _when this came to me and I decided it needed to be written down. I kind of liked the idea of Orion and Walburga's relationship being more of an arrangement between two friends that eventually would turn to love. So, I guess this is like a side-story to _We can Begin the World all Over Again_, but it stands well enough alone to be the One-Shot I've posted it as.**

**Thank you all for reading guys, please review! :)**


End file.
